In 2008, he began to travel by car, and has successively driven jetta avant-garde, Ruifeng Business, the old Qijun (grace MX6), and the Dongfeng Royal Wind Light Passenger purchased last year.
The car has changed several times, but the travel mode is the same - driving a car towards the target, finding a restaurant for three meals during the day, and looking around for a hotel in the dark! For more than a decade, I gradually became tired and mad.
I turned 66 last year and began to have the idea that time was not waiting. Life is short, fate is uncertain! Don't take advantage of the good physical condition and the sense of driving control is OK, hurry up to achieve the desired travel plan, I am afraid to regret it!
Since I have no interest in small cars, I have decided to change to the biggest man in the C1 driver's license allowed to drive - blue card light passenger! After several selections, the target was the top seven in the Dongfeng Royal Wind Long Axis.
After hanging up the card and driving home, I began to think about the transformation while thinking, and by the beginning of September, the internal modification was basically completed. The exterior has only changed two sliding windows, and there is no installation of the popular RV bed car and other iconic configurations, such as side tents, rear climbing ladders, etc. Therefore, it seems low-key and unobtrusive, like a large commercial car. Whether driving or parking, almost no one looks at it, so far there has been no experience of parking being refused, and during the journey, it has not been blocked from going in and out of government offices overnight.
Although the exterior is still a simple and transparent ordinary car appearance, the interior has almost all the functions of a motorhome. Not only is the small bed car incomparable in space and function, but some performance is even stronger than that of regular motorhomes.
1. Layout and space utilization
The unannounced long-axis Royal Wind only has a seven-seater car to choose from (front 3, middle 2, rear 2), so I have been troubled by this. It was later found that this disadvantage was simple to resolve - the use of a tandem bed layout, the rear 2 seats were changed to a folding type, the backrest was flat to become an integral part of the sleuth bed, while the front row was changed to a rotatable type, and the cab seat was transformed into half of the components of the card seat.
The car is generally only used by our two old families, so the main driver's seat is not moved, and only the front passenger car is replaced with a two-seater. When parking, the rotation is 180 degrees, facing the middle row, and the simple folding detachable table is added in the middle, and the leisure function area for tea guests is standing.
The middle and rear seats have been changed to foldable, and the rear seats are half-bedd after the rear seats are flat. After the seat, the stainless steel box is customized, and the lid is added to the other half of the bed. The two are combined to form a longitudinal bed, 1 meter 2 wide and 1 meter 80 long.
When you want to lie down, you can adjust the backrest of the middle seat forward to the best possible somatosensory angle, creating a comfortable soft reclining that is more comfortable than lying on a bed at home!
The customized stainless steel box behind the rear seats has other functions in addition to being half of the sliver bed.
- The regular use is to store water, with a capacity of about 300 liters. In fact, 1/3 is used to store enough water, leaving free to store.
- Occasional use is not convenient to take a bath tent outside the car or when traveling in winter, you can hang a tent in the car to take a bath, and there is a drainage hole at the bottom.
There is also a width of about 60 cm behind the bed, and it is easy to move. The left side is equipped with a large and deep basin, with a diaphragm pump, elongated universal faucet, very practical, splash-proof effect is also very good. Cook meals while driving, and put a pressure cooker or rice cooker in the pool without fear of spilling. There is a space under the basin shelf to put a mobile toilet, and the emergency toilet can be pulled out at any time.
For caravans, no matter how big or small, space is always hard! But RVs can use regulatory advantages to exploit the space inside the car to the limit – they can block the windows at the expense of transparency, and they can also reduce the seat configuration equipment. Self-modification of the car is limited by the regulations, and is limited to the more restrictive range in the car.
Looking around the car, I found a unique advantage of light passenger cars - the higher body! Since the windows cannot be obscured, but the cab can be used above. So the use of lightweight materials (punched angle steel, embossed aluminum plate) wrapped soft lining and PU leather, made of forehead luggage rack, and expanded a small space - secretly claiming that they are well-intentioned! But there is no way, although the light passenger is already the "Big Mac" in the blue brand model, but the space is also inches of "soil" and inches of gold, and it must be "soil" that must be fought!
The next step is to continue to tap into the potential of space – by placing a luggage box on the roof of the car, putting the necessary items that you occasionally use, and trying to free up as much space as possible in the limited and valuable interior of the car.
Second, the backup power supply configuration
The backup power supply for parking adopts 48v and 12v dual systems, the former is the main and the latter is supplemented. In order to ensure safety and durability, the starting point in the choice of quality, brand, capacity and other configurations is high, and it is by no means comparable to the finished motorhome!
48v conversion efficiency high loss is small, as the main backup power supply configuration is larger capacity, mainly responsible for inverting to 220v to use household appliances on the car; 12v can not be discarded, additionally equipped with a smaller capacity battery to strengthen the original car power supply system. In this way, the previously purchased 12V electric kettle, electric blanket, electric fan, etc. continue to make full use of it.
Some car friends are worried about the safety of 48v lithium iron phosphate batteries, and the response is very simple - the use of mature and formal, reliable quality of large factory products! I am configuring a 48V100A iron lithium battery (converted to 12V capacity of 480A), huawei production, this is a mobile base station emergency battery.
The 12v is only equipped with a 180A Ningde lithium iron phosphate battery, which is installed in front of the infrequently used driving center seat, which is very convenient to control.
48v iron lithium battery is very lean in volume and very strong in performance! Although the volume is only less than 50% of the same capacity 12v battery, but the weight of more than 50 kg, the inverter is also very weighty, they are placed side by side next to the right middle door, both convenient for maintenance and control, but also for a reasonable counterweight.
3. Arrangement of living tools
Although it is a DIY bed whet, it does not pursue gold and jade watches, but it is necessary to ensure the inner quality! I do this myself and always practice it in the whole process of modification!
Chai Nuan is an Eberher brand, and the price is far more than that of ordinary brands. However, it is low in noise, low fuel consumption, high efficiency and good handling. The installation position is on the floor to the right of the rear door.
Install a more expensive pulse diesel stove in the middle door position, with high price and high quality, excellent performance. Not only is there no open flame and no fumes, the calorific value exceeds that of the gas stove, and it is more convenient to obtain fuel. More satisfactory is to throw off the gas cylinder, saving space and reducing the weight of the car.
To add the color of the journey to ease, improve the hidden quality of the car. In particular, I took advantage of the removal of the interior and power wiring to adapt the car audio to meet my preference for high-quality music.
The original car audio is a chicken rib garbage, only on both sides of the center console installed a diffuse 4-inch speaker perfunctory, decisively abandoned. Start another stove, rewire, player selection Jianwu, power amplifier with Hezhi, horn for the long trumpet Song, bed car also play three-way frequency!
I have always disliked playing music while driving, and the details of the music are drowned out by the noise of driving. Therefore, when the sound was modified, the best position for listening was changed to the so-called "emperor's throne" as the center. Because the ambient noise is greatly reduced when parking, this is the best time to listen quietly!
At the beginning of the modification, the body was soundproofed all-inclusive, and the huge interior space also made the sound field wider, which was a good premise foundation to ensure the wonderful sound of the car audio and basically realized high fidelity.
When you park on the way, sit in the middle row, turn on the player, and then the beautiful music swings in the carriage, and the bed car immediately transforms into a music box!
Usually, even at home, I like to play music in the car, so as not to disturb my family and neighbors. I love to brew a cup of fragrant tea in the middle of the night, hide in the car to avoid the world, and listen to the sounds of nature...
Fourth, lightweight and practical, quality first
People are old, and they don't care much about the beauty of the utensils - it is good to be neat and clean! Generous and pleasing to the eye! Enough practical just fine!
Before changing my car, I paid attention to the B-type motorhome for a long time. Watching the auto show, test driving; running east and west, looking for it; running tired of legs, wanting to inflate the brain, and did not find a car suitable for themselves.
It is not suitable for the heaviness, bloat, narrowness, closure, materials, etc. of the motorhome. In addition to the large number of beds on the car, there are many irrelevant and flashy facilities, but the important and key equipment is either lacking or ugly, and it is impossible to adapt to the preferences of individuals.
Slightly cheaper RVs are even more reduced to an outrageous degree - lithium batteries are self-equipped, stoves are self-equipped, firewood is self-equipped, refrigerators are equipped, air conditioners are equipped... All self-matched, just make your own!
Usually, I have the habit of preferring to be lacking and indiscriminate, and the internal quality requirements of the supplies are more stringent. The car change is even more hands-on throughout the process, and even cares about the selection and tightening of each bolt and nut - so that it is jokingly called "thousand-year prison, ten thousand years solid" by his wife. Although this habit is a bit paranoid, it definitely guarantees quality, especially without fear of competing with regular RVs for intrinsic quality.
Dare to compare with the RV quality example 1: the bottom, body, doors, roof, seamless to do a comprehensive shock stop sound insulation!
Dare to compare with the RV quality example two: the bottom of the car to paste the shock stop piece, do thermal insulation and sound insulation, apply printed aluminum plate, and then add soft lining, and finally lay high-grade waterproof wood-plastic floor - good materials The whole procedure is not perfunctory!
Dare to compare quality with the motorhome example three: not only the base plate of the car is embossed aluminum plate, the main material of the left and right side cabinets is also European standard aluminum profiles. All modification materials use lightweight, high-strength materials as much as possible. Among them, aluminum is used the most, which effectively reduces the weight of the car body. Driving more than 10,000, the average fuel consumption has never exceeded eight liters!
Dare to compare quality with the motorhome example four: the thickness of the square pipe used in the bottom frame of the online customized folding seat is thin, and the foundation is not solid, so I bought a welding machine, bought punching angle steel, and re-welded and reinforced!
There are many more important configurations that can put RVs to shame – such as lithium battery systems, heating brands, kitchen appliances, audio configurations, etc., which have been described in detail and will not be repeated or listed one by one.
Fifth, the modification effect and the feeling of using the car
In the early autumn of last year, the basic modification was completed. In late September, he drove his car to the newly purchased pension house in Guilin for two months and returned to Shandong at the end of the year. More than 6,000 kilometers round trip, the test modification effect is good on the way, and the functions meet the standards.
On my first trip, my wife was happier than I was, and I was always in high spirits along the way. I think she is also the biggest beneficiary of the car change modification? Cooking, washing, cleaning, etc., convenience and activity space compared with the past cars, are not on one level!
My most satisfied is the dual power mode, first of all, the 12v original car power supply has been deeply excavated, the original lead-acid battery capacity and generator power of the diesel car are larger, and then after adding 180A iron lithium battery, the whole system is more stable and powerful.
The dual power supply system has a clear division of labor, 12v in order to ensure that the vehicle functions normally and in the driving for the backup battery fully charged, excess power is never wasted!
My first practice is to use a 12v electric kettle to boil water as much as possible during the drive. The 12v electric kettle has a capacity of 1.8 liters and its power line is directly connected to the generator. During the drive, you can boil a pot full of water for 25 to 45 minutes, and then continue to burn pot after pot until it is enough! I have a 3-liter and a 5.8-liter thermos bottle on my car, which is enough to burn up to 3 liters. When you want to take a bath, you will not stop filling both pots, and you will have to boil one more pot - a total of more than 10 liters of hot water, and one person can bathe enough.
The second is to deliberately connect a 1000w inverter directly to the generator, which is also only used in driving, and the meal can be prepared without stopping with a 220v electric pressure cooker or rice cooker when rushing to the road. When it rains on a cloudy day, you can also temporarily replenish the backup power supply.
It is recommended that riders also try the above methods, especially for those who have extra cooking utensils such as 12v kettles, as well as idle low-power inverter power supplies - as for why? Self-explanatory!
The 48v power supply system was decided to adopt it after i hesitated for a long time, after all, there are very few niche users! After practice and use, including special tests, excellent performance, very durable - once used every day for lunch and dinner, occasionally used for breakfast, actually insisted on more than five days, Coulomb meter showed that there is still 28% of the power left!
Finally, talk to the riders about the feelings of using the car
Looking back on the time that has passed, the purchase of jetta avant-garde in 2008 was in the middle of a strong year. Having the first car in my life, saying to go, going and going, the feeling of freedom to come and go is wonderful! It feels like traveling is like having wings on it, and you can soar like a bird. At that time, the number of car tribes was still small, and self-driving tourists were rarely encountered on the road. It is very satisfying to be able to hold the car, and there is no awareness of the pursuit of comfort in the car, and there is no hope for the large space and complete facilities on the car.
Later, it successively owned the old Qijun, which had a Ruifeng Business and a double bed with the rear seats flattened, and the space was larger than that of a sedan. But it is only enough for temporary snails, not comfortable, and the main way to eat is to go to the restaurant. Probably because of the aging factor, I feel that my adaptability to harsh conditions has become worse!
After completing the modification last year, I really felt the importance of the model for travel comfort, convenience and freedom. Especially for the elderly riders, it is an irreplaceable tool to improve the quality of travel, pleasant nourishment, release the mood, and open a comfortable and slow life.
In summary, my experience is that when you choose a car, you choose a big man, and a light passenger is the best choice for changing a car. And it is best to choose a long-axis car, generally the height of the top, the height of the high top.
Don't worry about not being able to drive, the driver's license allows it to be opened. Overall, I experienced that driving a light passenger felt better than driving an SUV - sitting high, good line of sight, long-distance is not easy to get tired, and the handling is not bad!
As for the slight difficulty brought about by the wider and longer body, it is even more important for elderly riders, because the years have given us the weight of old age, and the stability and care have also become conscious habits and even become instincts! This problem is not worth fearing, just get on the car and drive tens of kilometers, at most hundreds of kilometers to adapt. I'm also 67 years old this year, and I know it, and it's not a fool's errand!
As for whether to modify or buy a finished car, it is also very simple. If you have strong hands-on ability and the environment allows, then make up your mind to do it yourself, otherwise you can simply pay for it. Anyway don't wait any longer! Age is not sparing, we are no better than young people.
Put yourself in the shoes of a liberal arts man, working in the tourism industry for decades before retirement, hands-on ability is not born to give, but also in recent years of bold practice, crawling, bitter and self-aware, there are gains and losses, thus gradually becoming stronger.
If the elderly riders need it, I am willing to help. Remote online communication, short-distance meeting and interaction, and jointly make the elderly car circle bigger!